Fresh PCB Concepts: Key Considerations for Reliability, Performance, and Compliance in PCBs
Elementary Mr. Watson: Navigating RF—A Glide Path Approach to Design Success
Designers Notebook: Layer Stackup Planning for RF Circuit Boards
The Readers Speak: Tips on Accelerating your Design Cycle
October 28, 2015 | Andy Shaughnessy, PCBDesign007Estimated reading time: 1 minute
This month, in addition to publishing feature articles by well-known experts in the field, we decided to collect feedback from the readers—PCB designers and engineers working in the trenches each day. We asked our readers to provide their favorite tips, tricks, and techniques for speeding up the PCB design cycle. Here are 10 tips for cutting your design time, courtesy of designers just like you.
Matija Milostnik
PCB group leader, Slovenia
“Bang on the electrical engineers to squeeze out of them all constraint upfront before starting a design, so that you can put them into rules in the design tool, and then hold them accountable for changes. The rest is easy, in comparison.”
Santiago Cervantes
CID+, San Diego
“Know the system the PCB integrates into.”
Karl Bates
President of ConnectPCB, Chicago
“Use both hands (i.e., one hand on the mouse, other using shortcut keys or function keys). Type without looking at your hands (they should know where the keys are).”
Jens Hansen
PCB designer, Aalborg, Denmark
“Learn the limitations of the PCB fabrication process and set up your PCB CAD system accordingly.”
Felipe Lopez Rendon
Packaging design engineer with Intel, Guadalajara, Mexico
“Keep the DRC on most of the time.”
To read this entire article, which appeared in the October 2015 issue of The PCB Design Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/09/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineTrade show season is wrapping up as we head into summer. Where has the time gone? I hope you all get the chance to take a vacation this year, because I know you’ve earned one. Speaking of which, when was my last vacay? If I can’t remember, it’s probably time for one. It’s been a busy week in electronics, with fallout from the back-and-forth on tariffs taking up most of the oxygen in the room. We have quite an assortment of articles and columns for you in this installment of Must-Reads. See you next time.
Imec Coordinates EU Chips Design Platform
05/09/2025 | ImecA consortium of 12 European partners, coordinated by imec, has been selected in the framework of the European Chips Act to develop the EU Chips Design Platform.
New Issue of Design007 Magazine: Are Your Data Packages Less Than Ideal?
05/09/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamWhy is it so difficult to create the ideal data package? Many of these simple errors can be alleviated by paying attention to detail—and knowing what issues to look out for. So, this month, our experts weigh in on the best practices for creating the ideal data package for your design.
RF PCB Design Tips and Tricks
05/08/2025 | Cherie Litson, EPTAC MIT CID/CID+There are many great books, videos, and information online about designing PCBs for RF circuits. A few of my favorite RF sources are Hans Rosenberg, Stephen Chavez, and Rick Hartley, but there are many more. These PCB design engineers have a very good perspective on what it takes to take an RF design from schematic concept to PCB layout.
Cadence Unveils Millennium M2000 Supercomputer with NVIDIA Blackwell Systems
05/08/2025 | Cadence Design SystemsAt its annual flagship user event, CadenceLIVE Silicon Valley 2025, Cadence announced a major expansion of its Cadence® Millennium™ Enterprise Platform with the introduction of the new Millennium M2000 Supercomputer featuring NVIDIA Blackwell systems, which delivers AI-accelerated simulation at unprecedented speed and scale across engineering and drug design workloads.